


Pay Phones

by lunardaisies



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Modern AU, Reddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunardaisies/pseuds/lunardaisies
Summary: MODERN REDDIE AUEddie Kaspbrak, 18, is an apprehensive momma's boy. He's spent nearly every summer isolated in belief he was sick as a result of psychological effects rooted by his manipulative mother. Richie Tozier, also 18, is loudmouthed and hyperactive. He's constantly rebelling as a way to cope with his home life, where his parents are unsupportive and criticize his sexuality. He's determined to show Eddie what life has to offer when you live it without setbacks. They spend the summer visiting locations on a list the two create, leaving an "𝑹 + 𝑬" on just about every pay phone in Derry as a recognition of their times together."We're going to leave our mark on every damn pay phone in the area, Eds. I've made it my personal goal to make this the best summer you've had yet."
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 12





	Pay Phones

**Author's Note:**

> I made a playlist for this fanfic! https://open.spotify.com/user/u7vo1w8k4zez92c6fbqa7wdu6/playlist/1wepqctE0Wkhbz9MsJef70?si=6wZL7tHxS9aHP8oDfoBepA

Eddie began his walk home after spending the day with his friend Bill. He immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket as soon as Bill was out of earshot, practically hearing his mother's words ring in his head as she reminded him earlier to inform when he was returning home.

Releasing a brief sigh as he anticipated the number of questions he was about to receive, he clicked the button to turn the phone on. However, to his misfortune, the screen remained black instead of lighting up.

"Shit, now she's going to freak out," Eddie mumbled to himself. His stomach churned uncomfortably at the thought of his day being ruined by another one of her lectures, which she'd undoubtedly give him for making her worry. She was unbearably overprotective, even as he was now going to college in the upcoming fall.

He had given up on the prospect of a peaceful night until he approached Neibolt Street, where an old and rarely used pay phone resided. On any other day, Eddie liked to avoid spending any longer than he had to around this area, as he found anyone who lived here to be disconcerting. Merely the look of the street itself made him uneasy.

Eddie could feel chest tighten as he approached the pay phone, and his hand instinctively gravitated towards the inhaler that rested in his pocket. He didn't use it, but he was so anxious that he almost expected he'd need to at some point or another.

When he finally reached the pay phone, he inserted some change he fortunately happened to find on himself into the slot. His eyes drifted to just below the slot, where a series of numbers were written down in what he assumed was marker, though it was now faded and nearly indecipherable from the weather and time. He furrowed his brows as he wondered who had written it there and why.

He absentmindedly entered them in, not paying attention as he entered the numbers that he'd just seen instead of his mother's. He thought nothing of it, oblivious to the error he'd just made as the phone began to ring.

A male voice responded within moments, causing him to flinch as he was caught off guard by the unfamiliar sound. This was evidently not his mother, though he still had yet to realize he had entered the wrong phone number.

"Richie Trashmouth Tozier speaking, who is this?" the voice asked in an oddly blithe tone that made Eddie feel awkward.

Eddie was silent for a moment as he tried to process what was going on. "Uhh.. who is this?" he choked out.

"I already told you. And I asked you first," Richie pointed out.

Disregarding Richie's question, Eddie continued to question him. "I'm supposed to be talking to my mom, so why the hell am I talking to you?" he asked impatiently. He certainly wasn't in the mood for any games after experiencing this series of bad luck, and his patience was wearing thinner as he remembered his mother was probably going batshit crazy by now.

The boy on the other end of the line laughed, which only made Eddie more irritable. "I don't know, you're the one who called me. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he retorted.

"I didn't fucking call you, I called my mom!" Eddie argued, becoming more frustrated as Richie was clearly not grasping the situation.

However, it was Eddie who wasn't grasping the situation, and Richie made him aware of this. "No, you called my number. Are you sure it was your mom's number you entered?" 

Eddie thought for a moment before gasping in realization. "Oh my god, I'm such an idiot," he mumbled, his eyes darting to the phone number scrawled under the coin slot. He recognized now that he'd entered that number instead of his mother's.

He heard another laugh sound from the phone. "I don't know who you are, but you're fucking hilarious. You never told me your name," Richie said to him.

"It's Eddie... Eddie Kaspbrak. Look, I really don't have time to sit here and have a conversation with you. Why is your phone number even written down on a pay phone?"

"It was a dare from my friend Beverly. Thought I'd get hit up by some hot ladies, but you're actually the first person to call, isn't that funny? Hey, can I call you Eds?" Richie requested, though regardless of Eddie's answer he'd address him by that anyway.

"What? No– My name is Eddie, not Eds," he spat, speaking the nickname with disgust.

Completely ignoring Eddie's contempt with the nickname given to him, Richie continued to use it. "You know, Eds, your voice sounds real cute on the phone."

Eddie rolled his eyes. He would never refer to himself as "cute", and having it done by some stranger on the phone was unsettling to say the least. "I already told you I don't have time to waste talking to you. I'm going to hang up now."

"No, wait!" Richie begged. "This summer's been really fucking boring for me. What if we, like, met up or something?"

"Yeah, like I'm just going to meet up with some random guy I met over the phone," Eddie muttered sarcastically in disagreement with Richie's suggestion.

"What, you a pussy or somethin', Eds?" Richie teased, laughing a little.

Eddie's jaw clenched in irritation, and he felt his cheeks grow warm. "No, I am not," he responded through clenched teeth.

"So then are we gonna meet up or what?"

"You know what? Fine. Meet me at this pay phone tomorrow morning if you want to meet up so fucking bad. Can I hang up now?" he snapped, tapping his fingers anxiously against the phone as he thought again about his mother.

"Alright, alright, Eddie Spaghetti, I'll let you call your mom now. Tell her I said 'hi', okay? See you tomorrow," Richie responded, satisfied that Eddie had finally given in. The line went silent afterwards.

Eddie cringed at the second nickname he'd been given that day. Brushing it off though, he dialed the correct digits this time and raised the phone to his ear again as he waited to hear his mom's voice.

As he had expected, she was practically in a state of panic. "Eddie-bear, where are you? I've been trying to call you for the past thirty minutes. You weren't trying to ignore me, were you? I was so worried," Sonia cried, causing Eddie to bite his lip as she once again manipulated him into feeling guilty for something that was out of his control. 

"I'm sorry, Ma. My phone died, and I just got to a pay phone," he lied, knowing he couldn't tell her that he'd just wasted time talking to someone else instead of her. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm on my way home now."

"Okay. Please be safe, Eddie, and don't forget to take your pills tonight when you come home," she reminded him, making Eddie roll his eyes.

"I know, Ma. I will," he assured her. He'd only been taking them every day for as long as he could remember, so he wouldn't forget even if he wanted to. "Bye," he added after he received no response. 

Eddie hung up the phone after and took another glance at Richie's faded phone number. He momentarily debated on whether or not he would actually meet him here. The idea was certainly unorthodox for him, but he found that he was oddly intrigued by it. He blamed it on his deep-rooted desire to actually have some sort of change in his life. After all, he'd spent his summer so far in solitude apart from the few times he'd convinced his mother to let him see a friend or two. This was how he'd spent every summer for the past eighteen years.

He ran home, as the sun was setting rapidly and he didn't want to be alone in the dark on Neibolt Street. Despite being asthmatic, Eddie loved to run. It helped to put his mind at ease and relieve some of his stress. His mother always advised him against it, but he never listened. It was the one thing he really liked to do, so he ignored her wishes.

When he finally arrived home, He glanced over to where Sonia always sat and was greeted with her concerned expression.

"Hi, Ma. Sorry again for worrying you. It won't happen again," Eddie promised as he rushed to her side. He tentatively kissed her cheek, abhorring the habit but aiming to please her nonetheless.

"You can't worry me like that, Eddie-bear. You know how dangerous it can be when you're out there alone, especially when it's getting dark," Sonia lectured him, to which he nodded absentmindedly as he'd heard the same words that were spoken too frequently for his liking.

"I know. I'm sorry," was Eddie's only response. He just wanted her to stop talking at this point, so he figured short responses would give her less to talk about in return.

Fortunately, this had worked to his favor. "Go wash up now, Eddie. I don't want you getting even more sick after hanging around with your friend all day," she instructed, eyeing him as she scanned for any dirt or filth that he might have on him.

"I will," he mumbled quietly, and turned his back to her as he went to the bathroom to take a shower.

He let the water run down, making his usual neatly kept brown hair appear unkempt as it became soaked. He sighed as he brushed it back with his fingers, thinking of how his mother was always claiming that he was sick. He somehow had always believed her, even if his body told him otherwise. He never really felt sick, but remained in belief that he was.

Lately, however, he'd been much less susceptible to her manipulation tactics. They were becoming much more transparent to him as he grew older.

This compelled him even further to meet with Richie at the pay phone. Maybe something spontaneous was what he needed to break away from the psychological effects his mother's controlling habits left on him.

Eddie finished up washing himself, making sure to clean sufficiently to where Sonia would be satisfied.

He went to his room after getting dressed, rather fatigued from the long day. Settling into his bed, he plugged his phone into its charger. When it finally turned on, he scrolled through social media for a little while before his eyelids felt heavy from exhaustion.

As he drifted into sleep, he thought about Richie, or as the boy more specifically put it, "Richie Trashmouth Tozier". He couldn't help but laugh a little to himself at how odd he was. He'd never met anyone like that.

For the first time in eighteen years, he was somewhat looking forward to something that was out of his comfort zone.


End file.
